Bear Digest

What Coming Divisional Crunch Says for Bears' Game with Cardinals

Around the NFC North: Thanks to the fluke loss to Washington, the Bears reached a point where they must beat Arizona or face fighting out of a huge hole against stronger NFC North teams.

Gene Chamberlain

James Conner gets across the goal line at Soldier Field last season for a TD before Jaquan Brisker can arrive on the scene.
James Conner gets across the goal line at Soldier Field last season for a TD before Jaquan Brisker can arrive on the scene. / Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
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It’s difficult to take the Bears seriously in the NFC North race after what happened in Week 8 at Washington.

Saying this does not bode well for the Matt Eberflus era considering he's in Year 3 and still trying to win road games.

It’s not so much the shocking way the Bears lost Sunday but the ramifications of the loss. They had an opportunity to end a trend of losing on the road and could put themselves in good shape heading into two final games before their NFC North schedule starts.

They failed. This team does everything the hard way.

Since Eberflus became coach, the Bears have yet to really break through. It seemed they may have done it last year in the second half of the season when they scored back-to-back wins over Detroit and Minnesota but their embarrassing season-ending loss at Green Bay, with nine points scored, made it apparent they needed more offense.

How they upgraded the offense within a division with plenty of potent offenses has yet to become consistently apparent. There have been flashes but nothing substantial.

With two games against teams .500 or worse before they face Green Bay again, it would appear the Bears are squandering a chance to set themselves up in good position for a playoff run. They’ve faced the easiest schedule to date and at 4-3, and it’s questionable whether 6-3 would even be a good enough perch so they could be part of the postseason after six NFC North games and games with Seattle and San Francisco.

And if their second half of this season carries any losses more jolting than the loss to Washington, it’s easy to see how team president Kevin Warren could easily steer Ryan Poles toward coaching regime change even if it means their rookie quarterback is forced to endure another change in offenses.

The cycle of defeat continues and beating a .500 Cardinals team on the road isn't going to end it but will at least give them the opportunity to prove themselves significant when NFC North games begin.

Consider this week's game a qualifier for a second-half run. At 4-4, the schedule's coming severity dictates the Bears would need to improve so drastically in the season's second half that anything less would mean simply getting used to the idea of playing their customary role of late-season spoiler.

On SI NFC North Rankings

1. Lions, 2. Packers, 2. Vikings, 4. Bears

Green Bay Packers

Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers On SI

This Week: At Lions (3:25 p.m. Sunday)

Unsung Hero: Where would the Packers be without Malik Willis? You know, other than 3-3. Backup quarterbacks aren’t supposed to win games, especially backup quarterbacks with no positive track record. Willis started three games for the Titans as a rookie in 2022, when his passer rating was 42.8. In two starts and Sunday’s relief performance at Jacksonville, his passer rating is 130.3.

Keys to Week 9 Victory: When Jordan Love finally exited with a groin injury on Sunday, it was Josh Jacobs to the rescue with 13 carries for 78 yards the rest of the game. By our count, he broke 10 tackles during the game, including two on a 38-yard touchdown. The Lions are a team without weakness, but their run defense is at least a little vulnerable. If Jacobs can consistently gain 3, 4 or 5 yards, he’ll keep the offense in advantageous situations for whoever starts at quarterback.

Minnesota Vikings

Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI

This Week: Hosting Colts (7:20 p.m. Sunday)

Unsung Hero: While we've been singing the praises of Sam Darnold, Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson and Andrew Van Ginkel, one guy who deserves more credit for what he's done this season is edge rusher Jonathan Greenard. He's third in the NFL with 43 quarterback pressures, trailing only Aidan Hutchinson (45) and Nick Bosa (46). Greenard is out-producing Danielle Hunter after they swapped teams in free agency.

Keys to Week 9 Victory: Extending drives and finding the end zone. Minnesota has scored just five offensive touchdowns in the last 14 quarters. That's not nearly good enough and certainly does match the narrative that the Vikings have a potent offense with a brilliant play-caller. The defense has been shredded the last two weeks by Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford, but part of the problem is the offense stringing together too many short drives. Getting tight end T.J. Hockenson back Sunday night could be just what the doctor ordered.

Detroit Lions

John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI

This Week: Hosting Packers (3:25 p.m. Sunday)

Unsung Hero: This honor has to go to Kalif Raymond. Mr. Do-It-All, as Dan Campbell views him, nearly broke the NFL record for punt returns in a game and also added a receiving touchdown. He can play any of the wide receiver spots and is as reliable a return man as any in the league.

Keys to Week 9 Victory: The Lions were able to dominate the Titans thanks to strong performances on defense and special teams. In particular, they secured four takeaways on defense. On Sunday, they play a Packers team that leads the league in takeaways. Winning the turnover battle will make life easier on both sides of the ball, and could be a deciding factor in Sunday’s battle for first place.

Chicago Bears

Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears On SI

This Week: At Cardinals (3:05 p.m. Sunday)

Unsung Hero: Safety Kevin Byard. He's quietly been top 10 all year at free safety in Pro Football Focus ratings and backstopped a secondary No. 1 in passer rating against and sixth in third-down percentage. Byard wasn't through last year by any stretch of the imagination, he plays with great intelligence and leadership. The Eagles' Howie Roseman let one get away here.

Keys to Week 9 Victory: The red zone defense which they used to contain the Commanders will also be critical in this game against mobile Kyler Murray and an offense capable of driving on them. They lead the league in red zone defense even without starter Jaquan Brisker since Oct. 6 and Kyler Gordon last week. It needs to be good again and force field goals so their offense can get past their usual first-quarter struggles, which must be assumed at this point.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.